Improved cheery stoner



@with gratta stn't @Hita GEORGE GEER, OF GALESBURG, ILLINOIS,`ISASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, T. G,

'HADLEY AND WILLAM HAMILTON, OF THE SAME PLAOF. l

Letters ,Patent llTo. 63,716, dated April 9, 1867.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY OONCERN Be it known that I, GEORGE GEEK, of Galesburg, in the county ot' Knox, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and improved-Device for Stoning Cherries; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and usc the same, rel'erc ncc being had to thc accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which--4 AFigure l is a side sectional view of my invention taken in the line .fr .1', fig. 2.

Figure 2, Va plan or top View of the same. Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

This invention relates to a new Vand improved dcvice for stoning cherries, that is to say, taking the pits or stones from the cherries, leaving the pulpy portion entire or intact. The object of the invention is to obtain a l device for the purpose specified which will admit of the work being done much more rapidly than bythe ordinary hand process. t A represents a standard, the lower part of which is provided with a lateral recess, and a s-et-screw, B. l The recess and ,screw forming a clamp by which the device may be secured to the edge of a table or to any suitable fixture. This will be fully understood by referring to fig. l. C represents a box ci trough, slightly inclined from a horizontal plane, and having its lower or depressed end secured to the upper end of the standard vg A; The elevated end of the box or trough C is made of circular form, as shown at c, to serve as n receptacle to hold a requisite quantity of cherries, and the portion of the box or trough below c is narrower and is more elevated than the bottom of c, having two longitudinal grooves CZ d, made in it to conduct the cherries into cavities e e, where they are operated upon by mechanism 'hereinafter described, holes f being made entirely through the bottom of the box or trough in line with the cavities e e, as shown clearly in fig. l. To the bottom of the box or trough, in line with the holesf, there are affixed pieces of leather, g, slitted inthe form of a cross, as shown clearly in tig. 2. A single piece of leather may be used, with two cross slitsmadelin it, one underneath cach holcf, and the leather may be secured in position by a plate, 7a, screwed to the bot-tom of C, as shown in iig. 1. In thc lower or depressed end of the box or trough C there istted transversely a rock-shaft, D, which has two Vcurved arms, E E, attached, the shape of which is clearly shown in fig. 1. The free or-disengaged ends of`- these arms E E are forked so as to havevfour prongs, z', which slightly spread or diverge from cach other, and these forked ends are allowed to work or pass through the holesfand the slits in the leather g, when the arms E E arc operated or moved up and down, the rock-shaft D-being placed at such a relative distance from the holesff as to admit of that result. The rock-shaft D is provided with a handle, F, for the convenience of working the'arms E E. G is a trough placed transversely on C, in an inclined position a trifle below the recesses e e and holcsf, said trough having its lower end projecting a little over or beyond the side of C. H is' an upright plate secured in the box or trough C, and extending up by the side of the trough Gr, the upper end of said plate having two notches or recesses h t made in it for the arms E E to work through. This plate H performs two important functions-it serves as a stop to limit the downward movement of the arms E E, and also as a stripper to detach the pitted or stoned cherries from the prongs of the arms E when the latter are raised or drawn upward. l

The operation is as follows: The device, by means of the clamp, is secured to the edge of' a table or other suitable fixture, a receptacle being placed underneath the holesf to receive thc pits or stones, and a pan placed in thelap o' the operator to receive the pitted or stoned cherries from the trough G. The vessel containing the cherries to be operated upon is placed on the table near the elevated end of the box or trough C, so that the hopper c may be readily supplied from time to time, as may be required. The cherries, by virtue of their own gravity, aided occasionally by the fingers of the operator, pass down the groovesl d d to the recess or cavities e c. By pressing down the arms E E the pronged ends t'pass through the cherries in c e, forcing the pits or stones out therefrom, which fall into the receptacle prepared to receive them, and in case a pit or stone should occa- 'sionally adhere to the'prongs it is stripped therefrom by the leather g as the arms are drawn upward. As the arms E E are drawn upward the prongs 'i carry the stoned cherries with them, and they are stripped from the prongs by the plate H, and drop into the trough G, from whence they are discharged into the pan in the lap of the operator. I do not eonne myself to any particular material in constructing the within-described device. Itmay be composed of sheet metal, malleable east iron, or of wood and iron combined.

What I elzim as new, und desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The rocking-shaft and the curved forked plungers7 with the lmmlle or lever, made and arranged und operating in the manner as and for the purpose herein shown and described.

2. The upright plate for the combined purpose of arresting the downward `stroke ol' the plungers, and stripping the cherries `from the forks, molle and arranged substantially as shown and described.

GEO. G-EER.'

Witnesses:

M. D. COOKE, G. A. MARSH. 

